


Kiss from a Rose

by QueenReyna25



Category: Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Awkward Crush, F/F, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-21
Updated: 2020-04-21
Packaged: 2021-02-23 06:34:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,721
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23773981
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueenReyna25/pseuds/QueenReyna25
Summary: Aerith works at a florist with her mother. One day, a beautiful girl runs by and changes everything.
Relationships: Aerith Gainsborough/Tifa Lockhart
Comments: 11
Kudos: 83





	Kiss from a Rose

Aerith sat outside on a small chair, a table full of flowers of all sorts laid out before her. She loved flowers, and was forever thankful that she got to work in her stepmother’s florist shop. Up until today, she’d been sitting inside, but now there was much warmer weather so she sat outside and tried to sell flowers to anyone passing by. At first it was boring. But the next day, something happened that she’d never have predicted.

A woman jogged on by, earphones in and focused on the road ahead of her. She didn’t even glance at Aerith as she kept jogging. But Aerith definitely noticed her. How could she not? She only got a brief look at her face, but she was absolutely gorgeous. As she jogged, Aerith found herself staring at her. Her legs, her arms, she was built like a tank. She could probably bench press one too. Aerith felt her cheeks turn bright red, and she sat back in her chair, taking a deep breath.

That night, all Aerith could think about was that girl. She’d heard stories of love at first sight but had never believed in it until now. She still didn’t but for some reason she couldn’t stop thinking about this anonymous stranger. Her long black hair and the way the sun hit each strand perfectly. Aerith had to see her again. Maybe she’d pass by again tomorrow. Aerith fell asleep with a grin on her face.

The next day, Aerith forgot about the beautiful woman, until she sat out front of the shop again. As the day crawled in, she began to grow worried that the girl would not pass by. The day continued and still no sign of her. Aerith felt her heart drop as the day came to a close and she hadn’t appeared. She went to bed that night and fell asleep and was left wondering if the girl had been nothing more than a wondrous mirage induced by the heat.

The following day Aerith was pleasantly surprised to see the beautiful woman speed by. She stared at her once more and briefly caught a glimpse of her stunning scarlet eyes. Aerith’s cheeks once again turned a lovely pink colour and she sat back in her chair.

Get a grip, Aerith, she thought. She returned to waiting for potential customers to pass by.

The days passed by and every second day the mysterious woman ran by. Aerith gathered that she was headed to the gym not too far down the road and every day she didn’t pass by was a rest day. Aerith simply admired her from a distance though, too paralyzed by fear to approach her and speak with her. So she simply watched her and waited.

On one of the rest days, Aerith was sitting out front as usual when a familiar face appeared.

“Cloud? What are you doing here?” Aerith asked. Before her stood a man with spiky blonde hair.

“Was walking to the train station so I figured I’d pop by and see you.” He said.

“Why aren’t you taking your motorcycle like you usually do?”

“It’s getting fixed so I’m taking the train today. So what’s up? You seem…I don’t know, distracted? Not your usual bubbly self.” Cloud noted. Aerith was surprised.

“Since when were you this observant?” Aerith asked.

“I’ve always been observant. I’m very good at noticing things, I just don’t say it all out loud. Don’t dodge the question. Tell me what’s got you acting like this.” Cloud stated. Aerith was once again taken aback.

“Since when were you so willing to talk about emotions?”

“Don’t get me wrong. I’m not going to talk about my emotions. That’s still off the table. But I’m a good listener, so I don’t mind letting other people talk about theirs. So talk to me.” Aerith sighed. Cloud clearly wasn’t going to let this go.

“I’ve got a crush. It’s dumb.” She said, embarrassed. Cloud shook his head.

“If it’s got you feeling something, it’s not dumb. It’s important. I’m not great with this kinda stuff but here’s an idea. I’ve got some time before my train. Tell me about them.” Cloud said.

“She has long black hair and the most beautiful eyes I’ve ever seen. They’re a wonderful ruby red colour. I could stare into them all day. She’s got biceps as big as my head and her legs look like she could kick through a steel plate. She passes by every other day on her way to the gym. Well, I assume that’s why she only goes by every other day.” Aerith rambled. Once she started gushing about this girl, she didn’t want to stop. Cloud nodded with an odd look on his face.

“Interesting. I’m gonna go in case my train is early or something. Keep your phone on. I’ll drop you a text later.” Cloud got up and left before Aerith could get another word out. Seemed to be a rather abrupt end to the conversation, but it felt nice to talk about her crush regardless.

Later that day, Aerith’s phone buzzed with a single message from Cloud.

“You’re welcome.” Followed by a phone number. Aerith texted the number, curious what was going on.

Hello?

A reply came back shortly after.

Hello!

Aerith was confused but continued texting.

Who is this? My friend texted me your number and I have no idea what is going on lol

The reply came after a few seconds of anxious waiting.

Oh, my name is Tifa! Was it Cloud? He told me he was giving my number to a girl he met that he thought I’d get along with. Apparently you wanted to talk to me since you see me pass by on my way to the gym and he said you don’t have many friends around here and wanted to meet new people! Don’t worry, I can relate lol

Aerith didn’t know whether to thank Cloud for this chance or stab him with a rusty fork. She could do both. And he wasn’t exactly wrong. She did want to talk to her and she didn’t really have many friends here. It was mainly just Cloud.

Oh right! My name is Aerith. Yes, it was Cloud. I wish he would have given me a heads up! I just mentioned you, but I didn’t know you knew each other

They continued messaging each other over the course of the next few days, and Tifa stopped at the stand to chat when possible. Aerith learned that Tifa and Cloud were childhood friends that now lived together but she was adamant that there wasn’t anything romantic between them. They were more like siblings than anything else. Aerith let out a sigh of relief. Tifa was perfectly single. The planets were aligning in her favour. All she had to do was ask her out. As she typed up the message, she received one from Tifa.

Hey, I was wondering if you wanted to come to my apartment and watch a movie some time! We can do tomorrow if that suits. Cloud will be out of the house for a while so we have the place to ourselves. I can grab you on the way back from the gym, its not far from your shop

Aerith had sweat running down her face. She was panicking. She responded with a simple “sure” and put her phone down on the table, sitting forward in her chair with her face in her hands. Everything was going great but it was happening too fast for her to keep up. She paused and thought for a moment on what she had to do to prepare for tomorrow. She ran inside and spoke to her mother about it and was given permission to leave early tomorrow. With that done, all she could really do was wait.

She was wearing a very simple jeans and crop top outfit. Nothing fancy. She got more and more nervous as the day went by. Tifa stopped by on her way to the gym to double check she was good to go, and Aerith happily replied whilst screaming internally. Tifa ran off with a smile on her face.

As Tifa returned, Aerith shouted to her mother that she was leaving. They walked towards Tifa’s apartment and chatted about little things. As they got to the door, Tifa unlocked it and invited Aerith in. It was a fairly unimpressive building on the outside, but upon entering it was cosy in a strange way.

“We’ll be in my room.” Tifa said. She opened the door and stepped in. It was fairly basic. Simple wooden floors, with a double bed, a single window, and some furniture for storing clothes and such. Nothing fancy but nothing to sneeze at either. Aerith still stayed at home and wanted nothing more than to move out some day but she didn’t have the money. She sat on the bed and made herself comfy as Tifa grabbed a change of clothes and went for a shower.

Aerith tried not to think about Tifa in the shower but was having a bit of difficulty, so she texted Cloud and was met with no response. Clearly he was busy. She muttered something under her breath about him being a useless asshole in her time of need and put her phone away. She got up to look through Tifa’s DVD collection and found a variety of Disney movies, and realised that she had no idea what they were going to watch. She heard the shower turn off and quickly hurried back to the bed to get comfy again. Tifa came out a few minutes later, fully dressed with wet hair.

“So what do you wanna watch?” She asked.

“I don’t know. Something cheesy. That’s my only criteria.” Aerith said. Tifa began looking.

“How about Disney Hercules? It’s pretty cheesy. Great soundtrack too.” Tifa said.

“Sure!” Aerith said. She had vague memories of the movie so figured properly watching it would be fun.

As the film progressed, Aerith found herself engrossed. Meg singing about her refusal to admit she was in love with the super muscular pinnacle of beauty. Aerith was sitting next to her very own super muscular pinnacle of beauty, and related to not being able to confess.

The movie ended, and Aerith found herself getting a little misty eyed at the ending. She always loved a happy ending in films. She looked at Tifa.

“What now?” She asked.

“Well, there’s a game we could play. The rules are simple. I ask you a question, then you answer. Then I answer that same question myself. Then you ask a question.” Tifa said. Aerith nodded.

“Ok. What’s your favourite colour?” Tifa asked.

“Pink!” Aerith said. “You?”

“Red or maybe black. Your turn.”

They continued to sling a couple of questions back and forth before Aerith decided to up the stakes slightly.

“Do you have a crush on anyone?” She asked. She was nervous and shaking slightly because she knew she’d have to answer that same question. And despite being a pretty good liar, Aerith could not keep her cool in front of Tifa.

Tifa started blushing as she answered.

“Yeah. But I’m not telling you anything about them.” Aerith noted the gender neutral language. Tifa wanted to keep her guessing. Two could play at that game.

“I have one too, but I’m also not telling.” She grinned. Tifa grinned back.

“Next question. Tell me one physical detail about your crush.” Tifa said.

“That’s not a question, that’s cheating!” Aerith said. Things were not going according to plan.

“We both know it counts. And besides, it works both ways, remember? So I have to tell you something.” Tifa said. Aerith decided to play along, cautious.

“They have black hair.” She said. It was a physical detail. Tifa narrowed her eyes.

“Well played. Ok. Mine has brown hair.” Tifa said. Aerith noted that her own hair was brown. Point in her favour.

They repeated the same question again. Tifa mentioned a hair ornament of some sort but didn’t specify what it was. Aerith mentioned muscles, but there were millions of muscular people in the world. The game continued until eventually Aerith couldn’t take it anymore. She was going to get over her fear of rejection and lay her cards on the table. Every single clue she had matched her perfectly. It was either her, or an unknown twin she had.

“This one isn’t a question. But let’s raise the stakes. On the count of three, we both say the name of our crush. Sound fair?” She said. Her heart was beating out of her chest. This was it. The moment of truth. Either she would get the result she wanted on this gamble, or she’d deal with the consequences.

“Ok. Let’s do it.” Tifa said. They counted down. As they hit three, Aerith said the word Tifa before her fear could kick in. And hitting her ears was the wonderful and unbelievable sound of her own name. They sat there in silence for a brief minute, cheeks turning red for them both. Finally, Aerith spoke up.

“So what now?” She said.

“Can I kiss you?” Tifa asked. There was no stutter. She didn’t hesitate. The words came to her as naturally as breathing.

“I thought you’d never ask.” Aerith said.

Aerith lunged forward as Tifa processed the response and began kissing her. It was messy, with tongues and lips mashing together in a chaotic blend. Neither were very experienced kissers and it showed, but it didn’t matter. Both were more than satisfied with the contact as a whole. They’d both been craving it for so long and this sudden release of tension was amazing for them both. Eventually they pulled away from each other to catch their breath.

“Wanna stay the night?” Tifa asked.

“Sure. But let's take it slow.” Aerith said. She was more than willing to take things up a notch with Tifa, but figured it would be best to wait. She was right.

“Thanks Aerith.” Tifa said. She knew that Aerith was raring to go whenever but in their conversations, Tifa had revealed she’d never been in a relationship with anyone before and if she was in one, she’d want to take things slow. Aerith smiled in response.

Tifa put on a pair of her pyjamas and gave Aerith a spare pair she had, though they were a bit big for her. As they were getting into bed, Aerith paused.

“Big spoon or little spoon?” She asked.

“I’m not picky, but if it’s ok I’d like to be the little spoon. At least for tonight.” Tifa said, blushing. Aerith nodded.

They got into position and Tifa snuggled in. She felt protected and safe. It was a feeling she hadn’t experienced in many years, at least not to this degree. Aerith on the other hand felt like a protector. She’d always been seen as a scared little girl but in reality, she was much tougher than people thought. It was nice to have someone rely on her in some way, instead of treating her like she was made of glass. She was no longer the one being protected and it meant a lot to her, even through this seemingly insignificant display.

The next morning, there was a knock on the door. Tifa woke up and realised that Aerith was no longer there. She wondered what was going on but before she could get up to answer the door, it opened. There stood Aerith holding a tray with food on it.

“Good morning! I thought you might be hungry so I made breakfast. Cloud showed me around the kitchen.” Aerith said, smiling. Tifa felt like she was going to cry.

“This is the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me, thank you.” She wiped her eyes and sat up in bed as Aerith set the tray down, kissing her forehead before returning to the kitchen to clean up. After eating the food, Tifa got up and dressed and found Aerith chatting with Cloud. She stood in the doorway and warmly smiled at Aerith, who had yet to notice her. Cloud noticed her however, and promptly got up and returned to his room.

“Well? How was breakfast?” Aerith asked. Tifa walked over and sat next to her on the couch.

“It was wonderful. Thank you. Come on, I’ll take you home. I sadly have stuff to do today and I’d rather you not be here for it.” Tifa said.

After getting all her stuff together, Aerith left and Tifa followed. They arrived back at the florist’s and Tifa kissed Aerith goodbye, before returning home herself. Aerith explained what happened to her mother and promptly took her seat out front with a massive grin on her face.

Back at Tifa’s apartment, Tifa closed the door to her room and fell onto her bed, clutching her pillow and smiling from ear to ear. She’d never been this happy, and the day was only going to get better. She collected herself and walked to Cloud’s room.

“Hey Cloud, heads up. Barret’s coming to visit and he’s bringing Marlene.” The look on his face went from the usual stoic and nonchalant face to one that was almost fearful.

“That’s fine. I've finished my essay.” Cloud said. Tifa smiled.

“He’ll be glad to hear that. I gotta go get ready. Bye!” She said, leaving the room. Cloud was taking an environmental science course and Barret was his lecturer. He also happened to be the adoptive father of Tifa.

Tifa returned to her room and got ready. About an hour later, Barret arrived at the door.

“I’m here!” He shouted. Tifa opened the door and invited him in. They walked through to the living room area and sat down on the couch, with Marlene running through to play with Cloud.

“So Tifa. A little birdy told me you had a date last night. What’s their name?” Barret asked. Tifa started blushing.

“Who told you?” Tifa asked.

“It was Cloud. Said he’d tell me a secret for an extension on his essay. I’m a sucker for a bargain, especially since I always give him an earlier deadline for his essays anyway. So tell me about them.” Barret said. Tifa let out a sigh.

“Her name is Aerith. She works at a florist not too far from here. She’s cute as a button but has a pretty foul mouth. We only started dating last night so I didn’t let her stick around cause I didn’t want you scaring her off.” Tifa said.

“Can you ask her to come around? I’d like to speak with her.” Barret said. He was keeping a poker face like nothing else. He was normally a very passionate man wearing his heart on his sleeve but seemed almost cold today.

“I walked her home this morning after she made me breakfast in bed, so there’s no point.” Tifa said. She regretted speaking as soon as the words left her mouth.

“Oh, she stayed the night?” Barret asked. “Now I really wanna speak with her.”

“Nothing happened. Look, just trust me, you will get to meet her in due time. I don’t want to ruin things. I pass by her shop all the time and her mother works there and I haven’t met her yet!” As Tifa was explaining, there was a knock at the door. She got up and headed to the door . Before her stood Aerith, holding a bouquet of flowers.

“My mom made this for you and told me to bring it over. Sorry if I’m interrupting something. I’ll be going now.” As she turned to leave a voice came through.

“No, come on in, you’re not interrupting anything!” Barret yelled. Tifa was going to murder him. She invited Aerith inside.

“Aerith, this is my dad, Barret. He adopted me about 5 years ago.” Tifa really did not want this to happen but her hand was forced. Barret extended his hand.

“Oh, are you perhaps a lecturer of environmental science? Cloud has told me all about you. Only good things of course.” Aerith took Barret’s hand and gave a firm shake. Barret smiled.

“I like you already. Tell you what, I’m gonna go chew out Cloud about his essay and check on Marlene. You guys can entertain yourselves.” Barret stood up and walked to Cloud’s room, where Cloud got chewed out for not doing his essay on time.

“He seems nice.” Aerith said.

“He is, but he’s pretty protective of me. It’s kind of annoying honestly.” Tifa said.

“Then let’s get away. Come on, you can come to the shop. Just leave a note for him.” Aerith said. Tifa nodded. She quickly scribbled a note and left it somewhere Barret would see it, then silently left the house.

They ran down the street to get away, in case Barret came after them. They ran to a small park nearby and collapsed on the grass with the sun beating down on them. Exhausted and out of breath, they sat there.

“I’d hold your hand, but mine is all sweaty and gross.” Tifa said. Aerith took her hand anyway.

“Little bit of sweat never hurt anyone.” Aerith said. They stayed for a little while, just the two of them, happy for the silent company.

“We should head back.” Tifa said. They both stood up and patted each other down to get rid of the grass and dirt marks. They returned to Tifa’s apartment and found a note left by Barret.

Your girlfriend is nice. Invite her out for dinner with me and Marlene some time! I’ll be waiting. Stay safe.

Tifa folded the note and tucked it away as a little memento. 

"Well, looks like Barret wants us all to have dinner some time. I'm looking forward to it, personally. What about you?"

"It'll be fun!" Aerith replied. 

They stood there together in the kitchen for a while just talking. After it began to get dark, Aerith grabbed Tifa by the hand and led her to the bedroom. They began making out as Aerith pushed Tifa onto the bed, before straddling her. She leaned down and whispered in her ear.

“You ready?” Aerith asked.

“Yes. God yes.” Tifa moaned.

“Then let’s get started.” Aerith said.

**Author's Note:**

> so you may notice it gets spicy at the end. well, if i feel up to it, im gonna write a smutty chapter 2, but i make no promises on that front. just wanted to leave it open ended for that option though.
> 
> Also the title is just kinda cause Aerith works in a flower shop and its also one of my fav songs go check it out


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